SIDELINES MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSIT Y
EDITORIALLY INDEPENDENT SINCE 1925
VOLUME 88 NO.18
MONDAY MARCH 28, 2011
WWW.MTSUSIDELINES.COM
MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE
Madden’s defense faces uphill battle Evidence mounts against student charged with first-degree murder of Lady Raider By TODD BARNES News Editor
Prosecutors submitted a slew of evidence Thursday against Shanterrica Madden, who is facing first-degree murder charges as a result of the stabbing death of Tina Stewart. A grand jury is scheduled to hear all of the evidence
May 16 about the bring formal circumstances charges against surrounding the Madden. Her March 2 death of lawyer is arguing Stewart, a 21-yearthe 18-year-old, old Memphis who is also from native who was Memphis, acted a member of the in self-defense. Madden Lady Raiders “How do you basketball team. get with one stab The grand jury will wound that somebody decide whether there intends and premeditates is enough evidence to to kill?” asked Joe Brandon
Jr., Madden’s defense attorney. “How do you make that conclusion?” The prosecution submitted various pieces of evidence, including video of Madden’s initial interview with police, photographs of Stewart’s wounds, photographs of Madden taken by police after the incident, Madden’s
blood-stained clothes, the alleged knife used in the stabbing and Madden’s written statement. The two-part video interview between the suspect and Detective Mike Taylor shows a calm Madden explaining what happened the night of Stewart’s death, in which she said an unidentified black male with dreads had
killed Stewart. “All I know is that I did not kill Tina,” Madden said in the interview. A stammered Madden then started to retell a different account of that night during the second part of the interview. She dismissed the story of the unidentified black male
GRAND JURY, PAGE 3
SGA approves parking lot bill
the student hadn’t said it,” Bogle said. “I just want students to know that we’re The Student Government listening. We’re taking Association unanimously action, and I hope this sets passed legislation Thursday the tone for all of the SGA. regarding changing the I want to take pieces of Ezell Hall parking lot’s time legislation that are all from restrictions for all parking student ideas.” passes from 6:30 p.m. She said that some to 5:30 p.m. senators had reservations Senators of the External regarding the legislation Affairs Committee because the new Student proposed Resolution 13- Union and College of 11-S in an effort to help Education and Behavioral students who are Sciences buildings registered for will open in evening classes the fall, and the finding closer parking lot may parking spaces. be busier because The Ezell parking of it. lot is located “No one really directly south of knows what’s the University going to happen Bogle Honors College with parking once and currently does not the construction moves open up for all parking and once the [parking] permits until 6:30 p.m., garage is up and if they’re and “most faculty and going to even put in more staff of the Honors College parking on the other side leave at 4:30 p.m., and the of the education building lot is often unfilled most for faculty,” Bogle said. of the day,” according to “Even if this legislation the legislation. is implemented through The change of time the summer - that’s better restriction would allow than nothing.” students to park for closer Also, she said some library access, as well as senators were concerned attending any 6 p.m. classes that the 2011-2012 Traffic in other buildings close by. and Parking Regulations At-Large Sen. Katie Handbook may have Bogle co-sponsored the been printed already, but bill and said she created regardless, this is what the legislation based upon students want – period. a students’ concerns that “This is really like a ‘Hey, was brought to her during we’re listening piece,’” a traffic court hearing, Bogle said. adding that she is the only She said traffic court senator on the panel. has proved to be a major “I probably wouldn’t SGA, PAGE 3 have even thought of it if By TODD BARNES News Editor
Photo courtesy of Justin Bingham
A student donates March 24 to aid efforts that were set up on campus to aid Japan as they fight to pull through from the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and continuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex.
Students to continue Japanese aid efforts By AMANDA HAGGARD Associate News Editor
Students will collect donations on campus today and Tuesday at 10 a.m. in front of the Keathley University Center to aid the Japanese in a program called Genki for Japan. “Genki means vigor and energy,” said Priya Ananth, an assistant professor of foreign languages. “That is what we are praying that Japan gets back in abundance to get through this very difficult time.” Chiaki Shima, a graduate teaching assistant, and Risa Nakamoto, an exchange student from Kansai Gaidai University, are the main organizers of the event that was set up to aid Japan as it struggles to recover from the March 11 earthquake, the following tsunami and ongoing nuclear
crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex. Nine MTSU students were studying in Japan at the time of the earthquake and tsunami. Provost Brad Bartel and the Office of International Affairs advised study-abroad students in Japan to leave for their safety. One student returned March 16 and none have since returned. School officials said none of the students were impacted. The students have been studying at Toyo University in Tokyo, Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, and Nagoya Gakuin University, Saitama University and Seinan Gakuin University in Fukuoka. Justin Bingham, a senior majoring in digital animation, said he hoped this was the first of many efforts to
help Japan. “The thing is, the people over there aren’t just going to need help now,” Bingham said. “They’re going to need help for a long time, into great distances in the future.” Bingham helped organize the fundraising efforts by calling around asking for donations as well as advertising for the fundraiser. Students also collected donations outside of the KUC last Wednesday and Thursday. During Wednesday’s fund raising efforts, Bingham said a man showed up on his own accord to spin a sign with American Red Cross information on it. “He just walked up and asked if he could help,” Bingham said. JAPAN, PAGE 3
Aerospace program unveils new facility, equipment By EBONY V. EDWARDS Staff Writer
The department of aerospace unveiled its new air traffic control facility Friday in the Business and Aerospace Building. The event lasted from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. and began with a brief lecture about the history of the aerospace department presented by Wayne Dornan, the aerospace chair. There was also a ribboncutting ceremony lead by Kelli Beam, director of membership for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, followed by a tour of the facility. The new facility is one-ofa-kind and features a seamless 360-degree air traffic control tower simulator, which
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includes 10 radar suites that can simulate both en route radar approach control environments, Dornan said. Gail Zlotky, air trafficcollegiate training initiative manager, said she has witnessed the entire project from the very beginning. “I have been part of this program for 14 years,” Zlotky said. “This new facility will place our students above and beyond any other school in the country because nobody else has the technology.” A lot of time and labor was put into the development of the new facility, and the remodeling of the faculty room took three months, along with 12-hour days within a six-week time frame for the building of the simulator, Zlotky said.
Photo by Bailey Ingram, photo editor
Alex Coats, a junior in the College of Basic and Sciences, sits in front of the new flight simulator March 25 in the Business and Aerospace Building.
People from other countries were also flown in to help with remodeling. “We worked all but five days of the Christmas break,” Zlotky said. “It was definitely time consuming but a great investment into
the students.” The facility will aid the aerospace department in all five concentrations, which include professional pilot, flight dispatch, technology, administration and maintenance.
By fall, the university will have the best AT-CTI program in the United States, Dornan said. Alumnus Adam Gerald said the aerospace program has come a long way since he was a student. Gerald is also a program assistant for the project. “When I was in school, we didn’t have anything like this,” Gerald said. “As seniors, we came out pretty knowledgeable, but the juniors now will surpass us by far.” The technology used to create the new facility and simulator is on a whole new level and is unlike anything that anyone has seen, Gerald said, adding that it seems to take all the extra guesswork out of flying because of
its skill and top of the line equipment. “We wanted to simulate a lifelike environment,” Gerald said. “Our simulator puts the student at 200 feet in the air looking down, which gets them the closest distance to working traffic. We can also simulate any airport to give the student a different environment, which is much better than what we were able to do before.” There will be an ongoing air traffic control open house for students who are interested in visiting and touring the new facility. Dornan said he doesn’t mind being the “best kept secret in Tennessee’s aerospace department,” but he said he does encourage everyone to spread the word.
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WEATHER
Learn how a student-run clothing business brings awareness to the art of being ‘JAM-tastic.’
Keep up to date with the latest coverage and analysis of the Blue Raiders baseball team.
MONDAY
PAGE 4
SPORTS
FEATURES PAGES 4,5 OPINIONS PAGE 6 SPORTS PAGE 7
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